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Revisiting the date of Hiḍimbā Devī temple, Manali, Kulu (Himachal Pradesh): a study of epigraphic evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

Laxman S. Thakur
Laxman S. Thakur*
Affiliation:
Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
*
drlaxmanthakur@rediffmail.com
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Abstract

A seven-line Ṭākarī inscription on the doorjamb of the Hiḍimbā Devī temple at Manali has as yet remained undeciphered. However, the last line of the inscription was misread by J.Ph. Vogel in 1903–04, and Hirananda (1907–08) simply followed the date earlier suggested by Vogel. Neither has this historic document been translated in extenso by Vogel or Hirananda, or any other scholar. This article offers a complete translation of the inscription, its historical significance, and re-establishes the date of the temple from ad 1553 to ad 1551. This was during the reign of Bahādur Singh, the ruler of Kulu, who completed the present structure of the temple, and performed a yajña at the temple of the goddess Hiḍimbā during its consecration.

Keywords

Hiḍimbā DevīpraviṣṭeSaṁvatṬākarīyajña
Type
Article
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , First View , pp. 1 - 6
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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References

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